Dieffenbacher commences assembly of MDF plants in Algeria

The complete project includes all subsections from the wood yard through the CPS+ continuous press to the short-cycle laminating line for coating finished boards. Designed for smaller capacities, the CPS+ system is promoted by Dieffenbacher as “An ideal entry-level system for newcomers to the wood-based panel market and an economical alternative for easily replacing older single- or multi-opening presses in existing small-capacity plants.”

The project is being executed together with Dieffenbacher’s Chinese subsidiary Shanghai Wood-based Panel Machinery (SWPM). The first board will be produced in August 2020.

“The collaboration with Dieffenbacher has been excellent right from the start,” said Guelai Mohamed Chiheb, CEO at Bigstar of which Panneaux d’Algérie is a subsidiary. “Our trust in the company, especially its employees, has been one hundred percent confirmed.

“There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but we can’t wait to start production. With our new Dieffenbacher plant, we will be able to offer our customers high-quality MDF boards at fair prices.”

Another Algerian company, Ghamoud, and Egypt Kuwait Holding subsidiary Nile Wood, also have orders in progress with with Dieffenbacher.

Ghamoud ordered a complete particleboard plant from in October 2019. The order from Nile Wood dates from 2018. Locally grown forestry plantations will supply 70%  of the raw for Nile Wood.

To help overcome the shortage of wood in some regions of Africa, Dieffenbacher offers various solutions for using alternative raw materials in panel production. These include rice, sorghum and wheat straw, which would otherwise be largely burned in the fields.